ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 20, 2008 Author Posted September 20, 2008 Ugh. Just been looking at the box art again. Despite the fact that this is from Falstein and Barwood, I would have SERIOUS difficulty buying this game. It's EMBARRASSINGLY bad. My only hope is that this is what works for a German audience and a UK/US based publisher would have more taste. As someone on Adventure Gamers succinctly put it: It's too explicit to be erotic, too sexist to be enticing and too vulgar to be appealing.
Udvarnoky Posted September 20, 2008 Posted September 20, 2008 Even on Adventure Gamers 76% of people said the box art would NOT make them want to buy the game... and they're this game's target audience. (First rule of marketing: Don't alienate your core audience.) Yeah, 76% of the people who participated in a poll on an Adventure Gamers forum thread. Marketers should put a lot of stock in that. Anyway, this whole box art thing has gotten way too much attention. It doesn't matter. It's not a big deal.
diduz Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 Do you honestly think Casino Royale or The Bourne movies would have done better if they'd put a semi-naked picture of the female character on the poster? Of course not, because the leads of those films are cool, hyperactive men. Mata Hari is the lead here, and she was a dancer and a seducing woman who used her looks and manner to entice men and get her hands on secret stuff. If you're looking for a REAL example of sexist marketing, you should look at the Runaway 2 marketing campaign here in Italy. They used a SECONDARY character from the game, Lokelei, and put her g-string-wearing image everywhere on the press. The game sold a lot over here, but THAT'S a totally sexist campaign, considering that Lokelei wasn't a even a lead character. I had the same reaction you're having for this one. The Mata Hari cover is just a slight smart updated "stretch" of the original character behaviour. I can go with it. Yeah, 76% of the people who participated in a poll on an Adventure Gamers forum thread. Marketers should put a lot of stock in that. Why should they? I assume the gamers from Adventuregamers would buy the game anyway and don't need marketing. BTW, it's impossible that the same cover will make it in the USA.
diduz Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 Udvarnoky was being sarcastic. Totally over my head. Pardon me.
ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 21, 2008 Author Posted September 21, 2008 Yeah, 76% of the people who participated in a poll on an Adventure Gamers forum thread. Marketers should put a lot of stock in that. *slaps forehead* These aren't a RANDOM SAMPLE of people, or even a random sample of GAMERS, this is a specific question asked to the game's TARGET AUDIENCE. Maybe we should just agree to disagree?
Udvarnoky Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 The "target audience" is anyone who is interested in playing a game about Mata Hari, not the 36 people who voted in Squinky's AG poll to tell her what she wanted to hear. If you really want to take a legitimate survey about how the average joe gamer would react to the box art, then RANDOM PEOPLE are precisely who you should be polling. Adventure fans, such as the ones who are die-hard enough to visit AG forums, will do actual research on a game and make their purchasing decision on that rather than whether or not the box art turned them off. What the creator of the poll is claiming to want to learn from the results, and what the results are actually indicative of are two totally different things.
ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Posted September 22, 2008 Rather than see our discussion fall into pettiness - most likely my fault for being too glib (sorry), let me try again... Doesn't the fact that there's a scantily clad woman showcased on the cover kind of solve everything from a marketing perspective though? I don't think so. I can't think of a recent example of a video game that has been a) taken seriously by critics and b) sold well that featured such a cheap and lazy (IMO) image on its cover. The only recent example I can think of is Rumble Roses XX. Amazingly, despite the game being described by its lead developer as "80% masturbation, 20% gameplay", it still managed to have a more tasteful cover than Mata Hari. In my opinion that's because Konami understood that overt T&A wouldn't even help sell a game that was all about overt T&A. I really don't know, other than perhaps personally liking the art yourself (which is fine), why you don't see how this cover could damage the game and, by extension, the recent re-emergence of our beloved genre. For that reason I do think it deserves attention. If you don't see my point of view then I guess we should just agree to disagree, as I really can't understood yours (sorry, no hard feelings, though).
Udvarnoky Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 I don't think so. I can't think of a recent example of a video game that has been a) taken seriously by critics and b) sold well that featured such a cheap and lazy (IMO) image on its cover. I was being tongue-in-cheek when I said that. Still, don't underestimate the power of cheap and lazy marketing. I really don't know, other than perhaps personally liking the art yourself (which is fine) Haven't I stated the exact opposite? Anyway, like I say, I really don't care about the game's cover art that much. I do find the controversy that's stemmed from it to be wholeheartedly worth mocking, however. So yes, we can agree to disagree.
ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 26, 2008 Author Posted September 26, 2008 Coolio! I've written a pretty lame blogpost about the whole Mata Hari thing... if anyone dares to brave it http://thunderpeel2001.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-adventure-from-makers-of-fate-of.html
QueZTone Posted September 27, 2008 Posted September 27, 2008 this game looks to be awesome and very atmospheric! I WILL PLAY THIS! for which platforms will this be released?
Sven_Q45 Posted September 27, 2008 Posted September 27, 2008 It´s a adventure! For PC of course! Btw it´s booked.
ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 27, 2008 Author Posted September 27, 2008 I've improved my blog post, if anyone cares. It reads a lot better now. Quite an interesting story she had.
ThunderPeel2001 Posted September 28, 2008 Author Posted September 28, 2008 fall 2009 is so far away Website says Fall 2008... ie now! Where did you get 2009 from?
QueZTone Posted September 29, 2008 Posted September 29, 2008 ohhh, makes me happ i made that mistake! so... when is it coming out EXACTLY?
diduz Posted September 29, 2008 Posted September 29, 2008 Website says Fall 2008... ie now! Where did you get 2009 from? I guess he's watched the last trailer. It says "Herbst 2009", but I'm pretty sure it's a mistake. The game is most definitely DONE, Anaconda is even revealing the german voice actors (see http://www.adventure-treff.de). Mata Hari can already be pre-ordered in Germany.
Sven_Q45 Posted September 29, 2008 Posted September 29, 2008 Mata Hari can already be pre-ordered in Germany. I did it!
jp-30 Posted December 24, 2008 Posted December 24, 2008 In Germany, yes. Reviews & comments at adventuregamers are all pretty negative, unfortunately.
diduz Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Gamersgate has just moved the release date of the English version to March the 3rd (from the old "January the 31st").
Ascovel Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Ah! That means I can still relax for a month and a week before I'll have to play it!
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